Was Meghan Markle, Harry’s Archewell logo plagiarized? 'No diligent research, effort' put in, says brand expert
After Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were heavily criticized on social media for reportedly plagiarising the new company logo for their Archewell Foundation from the emblem for an Austrian property firm called Am Werdertor project, the owner of the company has laughed off the claims.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex dropped their official Sussex Royal monogram, which features their initials H and M intertwined with a crown on top, following Megxit so that they were free to use their new logo on letterheads and other stationery without being chastised by the palace over the use of their cipher. The Am Werdertor project uses an almost identical 'A' and 'W' emblem as Meghan and Harry's charity -- something they have used for the last three years, causing many people to wonder if the formerly royal pair plagiarized the design of their logo from the company.
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However, Dmitry Pryanishnikov, the chief executive of Am Werdertor's parent company Allea Group, remained unconcerned by the similarities when he told Daily Mail: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Despite obvious similarities between our logo and the logo of Archewell, we do not plan to take any action in this regard, as the subject projects are very much different by their nature, so we do not take offense."
Marketing expert Vanessa Liwanag, of Creative Talents Worldwide, was the one who first contacted the publication after noticing the obvious similarity of the design between the updated logo of Archewell Foundation and Am Werdertor project, especially since the latter first devised the design in 2018 for the exclusive refurbishment of a 19th Century building in central Vienna when it was turned into luxury apartments.
She said that it was quite surprising that Archewell's design team hadn't spotted the resemblance before launching their own version. "There seems to be no diligent research and effort done in creating unique branding and a creative logo for Archewell," she said. "In any branding project nowadays, it is important to do online research for similar names, logos and check if they are trademarked or copyrighted. Especially if you are a global firm, research should be done on a global scale. Isn't Archewell a global charity organization? They should know better."
The haste in dropping the Sussex Royal crest from their stationery and website happened in the wake of Meghan and Harry's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which they accused the royal family of racism. The updated logo, which also features on the couple's Archewell website, encourages "community, service, compassion and action." It was first spotted at the top of a letter sent by the Duchess to Robert Clack School in London following her visit last year, which was later shared online for International Women's Day with the caption, "We had a very special delivery this week. It has been lovely to share this letter and advice with the students and remember our International Women’s Day celebrations last year. #IWD2021 #iwd."
We had a very special delivery this week. It has been lovely to share this letter and advice with the students and remember our International Women’s Day celebrations last year. #IWD2021 #iwd pic.twitter.com/wLDisgETwp
— Robert Clack School (@RClackOfficial) March 11, 2021